Brooklyn Nets: Jordi Fernandez Breaks Down Day'Ron Sharpe's Start vs. Wizards

The Brooklyn Nets suffered one of their more brutal losses of the season on Friday night, getting dominated by the Washington Wizards on the road, 119-99.

After an exciting month of December that saw the Nets go 7-4 and own the league's best defensive rating, they have come back down to Earth, having lost three in a row to sit at 10-22 on the season. The Wizards are a spot under them in the Eastern Conference standings at 9-24.

Brooklyn had a number of key players out, including Cam Thomas, Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton. This led head coach Jordi Fernandez to insert Day'Ron Sharpe into the starting lineup for the first time this season.

Sharpe, a 2021 first-round pick, impressed in 30 minutes of action, contributing on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-10 big man finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks while shooting 6-for-12 from the field.

Day’ron Sharpe 14 PTS | 9 REBS (4 OREB) | 3 AST | 4 STOCKS pic.twitter.com/0kAXq35sBn
— Dani 💙♍ (@DaniBlue917) January 3, 2026

After the game, Fernandez broke down Sharpe's performance, giving praise while noting what he could have done better. The 24-year-old is averaging 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, a career-high 2.4 assists and a steal per game.

"One thing we know is Day'Ron is going to play extremely hard. From the minutes he's played to almost 30 minutes, pretty much 30 minutes," Fernandez said. "Your body has to adjust to that so it's a great opportunity for him to play those minutes.

"But, also being careful with that, the shortest stints I've tried to keep watching on how he reacted and, rebounding nine. I still think he could have gotten more and a little more efficient, but I really liked how hard he played, how engaged he was, and how he took advantage of the opportunity."

While he led the Nets in scoring in the loss, this isn't the first time Sharpe has stood out this season. He has two double-doubles thus far, including a few games where hit at least 15 points.

The former North Carolina Tar Heel has improved his playmaking in a season where the Nets have lacked a true point guard. Sharpe has had multiple games where he recorded four assists or more, showcasing his effectiveness outside of the traditional big man role.

Brooklyn is expected to have more of its rotation back on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, but Sharpe is starting to earn himself more minutes, averaging 24.5 across the last two games.